Low-Cost Circularly Polarized Millimeter-Wave Antenna Using 3D Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

An efficient single-layer printed feed is used with a low-cost 3D printed polarizer. The feed is made on a single substrate layer. The proposed antenna gain is 15 dBi, and the overlapped impedance-axial ratio bandwidth is 20%. The proposed structure is a low-cost structure that can be fabricated in any modest fabrication facility. The feed does not require any plated vias, which tremendously simplifies the fabrication process and lowers the cost. The feed is very well suited for integration with integrated circuit transceiver systems. The proposed structure does not require any feeding network design. Hence, it relaxes the design process and avoids the losses associated with such feeding network. The proposed element can be employed in an array configuration with adequately suppressed side lobes. The element cost, simplicity, and gain performance are superior to other proposed solutions in the literature.